On May 17th Wyncote Audubon and DVOC held our last field trip this spring in search of migrant passerines. This beautiful morning found us venturing to Brandywine Creek State Park. The day started off nicely enough with a pair of Eastern Meadowlarks, some Chipping Sparrows, Tree Swallows, Eastern Bluebirds and Orchard Orioles. We then added Warbling Vireo before we had to dodge 3 guys playing Frisbee golf as we headed down to the old campground maintenance area. Along the way we did manage to find a very cooperative Yellow-breasted Chat before we started to walk down to the freshwater marsh. This made the golfers very happy as we no longer were in their way.

As we walked along the marsh and then the creek a couple things were becoming obvious: firstly the creek had flooded fairly significantly over its banks following that tremendous rain last Wednesday; secondly that there weren’t a lot of birds around us, so we turned to plants and all the other wildlife that we found around us. During the course of the walk we found a Box Turtle, Wood Toad and heard Green Frogs and American Toads. We also saw a few butterflies including Red Admirals, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Red-Spotted-purples and a Dusky-wing. There were several different fungi observed, a few wildflowers in bloom and a study of Jack-in-the-Pulpits made by Debbie and Lynn. You will have to wait for their paper to be published to learn the results or ask them the next time you see them. We did have a few warblers as we went along including American Redstart, Magnolia, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, Ovenbird and the mystery one that got away from us. It may have been one of the Oporornis species or in may just have been a Common Yellowthroat that we wanted to be one of the Oporornis.

When we were all done with the morning’s walk, Doug, Debbie, Jane, Lynn and I all went to Lucky’s Coffee Shop for brunch. While we might not have seen a lot of birds, we had had a great day in one of the nicest state parks in Delaware.

And the day ended with a Scarlet Tanager along Pine Swamp Road as we were heading home to prove that good things come to those who drive around with their car windows down listening.

Martin Selzer